Few days back the
country's secret police successfully repatriated back to Nigeria from
Sudan a top terrorism mastermind- the Moslem convert Mr. Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche
with the kind assistance of the international police department [INTERPOL].
On arrival in
Nigeria, this terrorism suspect accused of coordinating one of Nigeria's
most deadly bombing attacks in the outskirt of the Nigerian capital in April
2014 reportedly admitted to interrogators that he indeed organized and
coordinated the dare devil attack that resulted in multiple casualties running
t nearly 200 innocent Nigerians at the packed public park in Nyanya, near
Abuja. He was also said not to have regretted his diabolical action even as he
was reportedly quoted in a leaked media report of threatening further attacks
should he be left off the hook since he believed that killing non-Moslems was
according to him a spiritual assignment.
Apart from the deadly bombing
attacks allegedly carried out by terrorists coordinated by the now arrested
suspect Mr. Ogwche, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court n The
Hague, Netherlands Mrs. Fatou Bensouda had in a well considered report authored
in August 5th 2013 categorically concluded that members of the armed Islamic
terrorists in Northern Nigeria have carried out crimes against humanity as
prescribed by Article 7 of the Rome statute.
Against the backdrop of
this confessional statement by this terrorism suspect which has jolted the
consciences of millions of Nigerians who have understandably been
traumatized by the seemingly unending cocktail of mass killings by the armed
Islamic insurgents, most Nigerians have asked why prosecution of over a hundred
suspected top flight terrorists arrested by the Nigerian government have not
progressed and hat it seemed the Nigerian justice ministry in Abuja is not in a
hurry to bring these suspected mass murderers to trial for their alleged
heinous crime against humanity. Nigerians have severally called on the
Nigerian Government to come to terms with the increasing demands for the
arrested terrorism suspects to be made to face the heavy weight of
the Nigerian law in compliance with section 6 of the 1999 Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended which confers the judicial powers
of the federation on the courts of competent jurisdiction to deal with
suspected criminals in view of the fact that Nigeria as a democracy ought to
respect the principle of rule of law.
Many Nigerians can
recall with trepidation the ugly reality of the extent of damage done already
to the psyche of the nation by the devilish activities of these blood sucking
demons in the name of armed Islamic terrorists over the past three years resulting in
the killings of almost twelve thousand innocent Nigerians. Thus Nigerians
wonder why the judicial system is not being invigorated and radically
transformed by the powers that be and the national legislature to provide the
expeditious ground for the prosecution in the competent courts of law by the
office of the Federal Attorney General and offices of the states Attorneys
General of these dare devil mass killers so they are made to face the full
weight of the law. Some Nigerians have also expressed concern that
even the Nigeria's internal security department of the federal Government has
not demonstrated enough readiness by way of making readily available the most
secured detention facilities for these dangerous terrorists already arrested so
they are not allowed to escape the long arm of the law. Some observers have
even raised the weird accusation that the holder of the office of the Federal
Attorney General and minister of Justice Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke [SAN] as a
Moslem is working to achieve a predetermined plot of ensuring that the hard
core alleged terrorists already arrested and detained by the Nigerian security
establishment are not prosecuted on time so they can benefit from any future
prisoners exchange agreement should the Federal Government accepts to negotiate
a lasting truce with the armed Islamic terrorists with operational bases in the
North East. Already the Minister of Justice himself through the office of his
chief press secretary denied this bizarre allegation and stated that the
Attorney General of the Federation has the highest respect for the
constitutional provisions which obliges him to serve only the public interest
of corporate Nigeria and not his personal agenda which he does not even
have.
Also worried by these
sad tales of apparent inaction of the relevant Federal authorities to do the
needful to bring these terrorists to speedy trial, I made effort to research
and find out what has so far been done by the office f the Federal Attorney
General and minister of justice to address this national outrage of the slow
justice dispensation mechanism vis-à-vis the increasing threats posed to the
lives and property of Nigerians by the armed insurgents.
The Justice Minister in
denying the allegation that his office seems not to be in a hurry to prosecute
terrorists said that:"There is no doubt that any society, which desires to
bring about social justice, and development will ultimately address the
functionality and centrality of law. In my respectful view, social justice and a
developmental perspective to nations legal system requires that the rule of law
must be sacrosanct".
The justice minister had
similarly declared at the opening ceremony of an international seminar on the
observance of human rights and international humanitarian laws held recently in
Abuja that his office has so far successfully prosecuted and got convictions of
40 hard core terrorists under the terrorism prevention Act of 2011 as amended
in 2013.
The nation's chief law
officer said that in a constitutional democracy like Nigeria, the rule of law
connotes not only that the judiciary is independent but that judicial orders
and judgments of courts are obeyed and enforced.
Adoke said that the
aforementioned position is more so imperative when only the courts
of law are mandated to state with finality the position of the law as it
governs the affairs of the society and the nation.
His words: "in the
course of evolving sustainable constitutional principles for our democracy and
in the face of security challenges, the courts have dispensed justice according
to the law and our constitutional evolution has benefitted immensely from their
interventions".
The minister of justice
is of the opinion that in Nigeria, the challenges of nationhood are more
pronounced in the areas of security, fostering of national unity and democratic
consolidation.
The threat of global
terrorism hitherto considered an alien phenomenon, in his estimation, has
unfortunately found a place in our nation.
In his direct response
to the groundswell of allegations that his office has not adopted quick win
process of bringing the arrested terrorists to trial, the Nigerian Attorney
General said thus; "Media reports of terrorists attacks on innocent
citizens, members of the armed forces and police and our critical
infrastructure have continued to weigh heavily on the cost of governance and
the ability of the citizenry to carry out their social and economic activities
with grave consequences for the nation".
My deduction from the
seeming groundswell of dissatisfaction on the slow pace of prosecution of
suspected terrorists who have carried out gruesome killings of over twelve
thousand innocent Nigerians is that Nigerians are yearning for an effective and
professionally minded prosecution to be coordinated by the office of the
Federal Attorney General who should make se of thorough bred professional
criminal litigation lawyers who know their onions in order to get quicker
dispensation of justice. Nigerians do not want a situation whereby the
sensitive issue of prosecuting terrorism masterminds are left in the hands of
police prosecutors who are thoroughly incompetent and ready to compromise
national security through their lackadaisical approach to duty and their
penchant to seek for selfish pecuniary gains at the expense of national
security. Nigerians are asking that the office of the Federal Attorney General
should set up vibrant team of senior litigation lawyers with the highest
manifestation of patriotic zeal and professional competence to handle these
sensitive prosecution of the many terrorists that are currently being detained
in the various detention facilities scattered across Nigeria. From what
the minister of justice has repeatedly stated in the public domain I am sure
that he is very much aware of the demands for speedy and professionally
competent prosecution of these terrorists that have carried out these spate of
genocidal killings of Nigerians of all affiliations. The minister knows that
posterity will judge his performance as minister in the way and manner that
these high profile armed insurgents in detention for these grave crimes against
humanity and so he will consciously discharge his constitutional duty with the
love of the Fatherland behind his every action.
*
Emmanuel Onwubiko, Head; Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria and blogs@www.huriwa.blogspot.com; www.huriwa.org.
31/7/2014
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